Alcoa plant electorally significant

Proposed government assistance in the form of “co-investment’’ with Alcoa to preserve jobs at Point Henry can be summed up in two words beginning with “C" – Corangamite and Corio.

The plant and its 600 workers are within the boundaries of the federal electorate of Corio, held by parliamentary secretary
Richard Marles
. But many of these workers live in the electorate of Corangamite which adjoins Corio.

Corangamite is Labor’s most marginal seat. Corio is one of its 10 safest on the basis of the 2010 election result, although a redistribution has made it marginally less secure.

The loss of Corangamite in 2010, held by
Darren Cheeseman
by a margin of less than half a per cent, would have meant the difference between forming a minority government or not.

History would have been rather different if Corangamite had gone to Liberal Sarah Henderson, who will recontest and probably prevail.

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Labor’s desire to bolster its position in the seats partly explains a scramble – in partnership with a conservative state government – to prop up the
Alcoa
facility as aluminium prices are depressed.

A high Australian dollar is not helping either.

But the back story to the leak of information to the Sunday Herald Sun of an imminent federal announcement on Alcoa reveals the tensions in local politics between Canberra and Melbourne.

The Baillieu government tipped off the Herald Sun in an attempt to get “early mover’’ credit for the co-investment deal, prompting federal Labor to bring forward an announcement of advanced discussions with Alcoa.

Suburbs to the west of Melbourne to Geelong and beyond are among the fastest-growing in the country.

The Baillieu state government is hanging by a thread electorally, and thus needs to bolster its support in places like Geelong. That much it has in common with federal Labor.